A beginner can try . . . I've installed a half-dozen, and was certainly a beginner when I did the first two or three. It's not difficult to do, but any safety-related item needs to be treated differently than changing a spring or a screw. You can buy the Kuhnhausen shop manual for what it would cost to have a good 'smith do the intall, and that book covers a lot of 1911 maintenance, trouble-shooting, repair, etc.